The red trilogy, p.1
The RED Trilogy, page 1
The RED Trilogy
Paul Kane
A HellBound Books LLC Publication
Copyright © 2023 Paul Kane
All Rights Reserved
Cover and art design by Tee Art for
HellBound Books Publishing LLC
www.hellboundbookspublishing.com
RED, first published by Skullvines Press 2008.
Blood RED, first published by SST Publications 2015.
Deep RED, first published by SST Publications 2018.
No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means, mechanical, digital, electronic, photocopying or recording, except for inclusion in a review, without permission in writing from the individual contributors and the publisher
All contents in this anthology are works of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are imaginary. Any resemblance to actual persons, places or occurrences are coincidental only.
Praise for the RED Trilogy:
‘RED not only tips its hat to “Little Red Riding Hood,” but “Peter and the Wolf,” and “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” and every werewolf type motif in between . . . This time around Kane puts a twisted horror spin to it, with even a fair amount of social criticism thrown in for good measure . . . Kane does an incredible job of combining horror and humour into one tasty morsel.’
(Cemetery Dance Magazine)
‘Kane expands on the “Little Red Riding Hood” mythos with a sharply-written novella that pits a descendent of the classic fairy tale character against the “real” creature of the same story. But make NO mistake: this isn’t for kids! You can tell Kane had a real ball-twisting time updating “Riding Hood”, especially in how he has crafted this new, psycho-sexual “wolf.” For the sake of not ruining anything else, let’s just say RED is a real BLOODY good time!’
(Horror Fiction Review)
‘RED is a gleefully gruesome tale that moves at an excellent pace. Its length is a joy, reminiscent of a line from another fairy tale: “Not too big, not too small, just right.” Paul Kane does a rip-roaring rendition of the Red Riding Hood story . . . He has the gift of summing up a situation in a sentence. RED is wonderfully written; it is easy to sink one’s teeth into it and devour it with relish.’
(Hellnotes)
‘This is a good scary story for those stormy nights or bright days. It is strong enough to terrify either way and will stay in your mind for days afterwards. Stories like this don’t come along very often, as all readers know.’
(Horror Bound Magazine)
‘RED is bloody brilliant—clever, classy and bound to chill you to the bone!’
(Horror World)
‘Paul Kane has enriched the werewolf mythos with a seamless re-imagining of a hypnotically suggestive fairy tale, embellishing it with the harsh, alluring scent of an ages-old psychosexual predator who easily rivals that other undead villain from Eastern European folklore, the vampire. A relentless and grisly fairy tale for dark times, RED is filled with the blackest blood from the deepest parts of our bodies, and is thoroughly recommended.’
(BookGeeks)
‘I adored fairy tales as a small child, and I enjoyed reading Blood RED. Whilst being modern, it keeps returning in new and apt ways to the early version we know from the nursery, paying its dues while reinterpreting the tale in ways that will give you the shivers. And Kane is adept at putting flesh on the bones: all the more horrifying, my dear, when he strips it off again.’
(Alison Littlewood, bestselling author of A Cold Season, The Unquiet House, The Hidden People and The Crow Garden)
‘Pleasingly accessible, fast-paced and gloriously gruesome, Blood RED gives a fresh lick of paint (red, obviously!) to an old tale and adds a distinctly adult tone. Good fun.’
(SFF World)
‘I loved the twisted take on Little Red Riding Hood. Who doesn’t love dark and twisted tales inspired by disturbing and unsettling fairy-tales? I loved every page. I had a great time reading RED and Blood RED!’
(5 * Review, Book Lover’s Boudoir)
‘One taste is all it will take to get you hooked, and after that, your thirst for the sweet Blood RED stuff that Paul Kane has to offer will undoubtedly be as voracious as any beast’s.’
(A Girl’s Guide to Horror)
‘You cheeky bastard! Not only have you revamped the Robin Hood legend, now you have taken Little Red Riding Hood and turned what was already a dark fable into a descent into pure, action-packed horror . . .’
(Zero Signal Magazine on Blood RED)
‘Deep RED is a cracking read, very dark and gory at times but well written and hugely enjoyable. I’ve read the other two books in the series, RED and Blood RED. Deep RED serves as a fitting end to a great horror series, a twisted version of Little Red Riding Hood. Some of the characters from the other two books make an appearance here and it was like catching up with old friends. This book is packed with tension, drama and horror as things get darker and darker as the evil wolves put their heinous plans in place. I was engrossed with Deep RED from start to finish!’
(Paperblog)
‘Deep RED takes the reader into a post-apocalyptic world, spinning a tale that leads to the final confrontation between humanity and the werewolves who have descended from myth into reality . . . For all that the fate of the world is hanging in the balance, Deep RED is a joy to read, a book that is thoroughly entertaining yet remains thoughtful despite the furious pace . . . with action-packed set-pieces that a Hollywood blockbuster would be proud of . . . Once again, Kane has demonstrated his multi-faceted talents as a writer in a book that readers won’t want to put down until the very end.’
(Starburst)
‘Paul Kane’s RED trilogy has been an interesting ride . . . The wolves are vicious. Throats are torn, limbs ripped from torsos . . . And lots of RED. Kane doesn’t linger on the violence with vivid descriptions of gore and such (though it is there), but instead uses it to remind us of how desperate and dangerous the world has become. And just “what big teeth they have”, so to speak . . . Fairy tales, even the darkest ones, always have to come to an end. Never mind the glowing red eyes in the shadows. No, don’t try to count them. That never helps. There are so many of them . . .’
(Kendall Reviews)
‘If you have read as many Paul Kane books as I have you know that he is incapable of writing anything that is worthy of less than a 4.5 star review . . . Deep RED is no exception. Paul has a knack for turning well-known fairy tales on their heads, creating darker, gorier versions of the original (you also need to check out his post-apocalyptic Robin Hood stories collected in the omnibus Hooded Man) . . . Each part of this story escalates from its predecessor until we have a lycanthrope apocalypse where the survivors have to go to some extremes to identify and defend themselves from the plague of loup garou that devours humanity. I’m not going to give you any more details but I am going to HIGHLY recommend you buy, and read, Deep RED right now! How can you resist?’
(Mass Movement Magazine)
Other Books by Paul Kane:
Novels
Arrowhead
Broken Arrow
Arrowland
Hooded Man (Omnibus)
The Gemini Factor
Of Darkness and Light
Lunar
Sleeper(s)
The Rainbow Man (as PB Kane)
Blood RED
Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell
Before
Deep RED
Arcana
The Red Lord (Robin of Sherwood)
Her Last Secret (as P.L Kane)
The Storm
Her Husband’s Grave (as PL Kane)
The Family Lie (as PL Kane)
The Gemini Effect
Novellas & Novelettes
Signs of Life
The Lazarus Condition
Dalton Quayle Rides Out
RED
Pain Cages
Creakers (chapbook)
Flaming Arrow
The Bric-a-Brac Man
The P.I.’s Tale
Snow
The Rot
Beneath the Surface (with Simon Clark)
Blood Red Sky
Confessions (as PL Kane)
Corpsing (as PL Kane)
Coming of Age (as PB Kane)
Murder on the Golden Sands Express (as PL Kane)
Collections
Alone (In the Dark)
Touching the Flame
FunnyBones
Peripheral Visions
The Adventures of Dalton Quayle
Shadow Writer
The Butterfly Man and Other Stories
The Spaces Between
Ghosts
Monsters
The Dead Trilogy
Shadow Casting
Nailbiters
Death
The Life Cycle
Disexistence
Kane’s Scary Tales Vol. 1
More Monsters
Lost Souls
The Controllers
White Shadows (as PB Kane)
The Colour of Madness (official movie tie-in)
Traumas
Darkness & Shadows
The Naked Eye
Tempting Fate
Nailbiters – Hard Bitten
Zombies!
Editor & Co-Editor
Shadow Writers Vol. 1 & 2
Terror Tales #1-4
Top International Horror
Albions Alptraume: Zombies
The Br itish Fantasy Society: A Celebration
Hellbound Hearts
The Mammoth Book of Body Horror
A Carnivàle of Horror: Dark Tales from the Fairground
Beyond Rue Morgue
Dark Mirages
Exit Wounds
Wonderland
Cursed
Twice Cursed
The Other Side of Never
Non-Fiction
Contemporary North American Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide (Major Contributor)
Cinema Macabre (Contributor)
The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy
Voices in the Dark
Shadow Writer – The Non-Fiction. Vol. 1: Reviews
Shadow Writer – The Non-Fiction. Vol. 2: Articles & Essays
Leviathan – The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II (contributor)
Hellraisers
War is Hell: Making Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (Contributor)
Stuart Gordon: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series) (Contributor)
CONTENTS
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part One:
RED
For Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. Masters of dream, myth and fable.
Prologue
Her husband was a stranger tonight—and she’d never been so happy.
In the last couple of years, Michelle and Tony Marsden had drifted apart, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.
It had happened slowly and subtly.
Nothing she could really put her finger on, just a general apathy regarding their union that both of them felt, yet neither would broach. It was almost as though their marriage was some fragile culture being grown in a lab, which at any moment might break down and vanish, and the scientists could do nothing but stand by and watch.
Their wedding day had been a wonderful affair—full of happiness, love and hope. But like the beautiful tiered cake they’d cut into, cracking the icing and destroying its perfect shape, nothing lasts forever. There had been tears in her eyes as he said his vows, promising to love her for all time, to be her shelter in stormy weather. She never thought it was possible to feel this way about another human being. But in the months that followed, there had been tears in her eyes on any number of occasions . . . for altogether different reasons.
They’d married too soon, she could see that looking back. After meeting at a mutual friend’s housewarming party, they seemed to click: same taste in music, same love of the arts and literature—especially the classics—same wanderlust that took the pair to almost every country on the planet. Within a few weeks, they were holidaying together, Tony whisking her off to Venice. There, in a secluded little restaurant away from the tourists, he’d proposed to her, getting down on one knee and bringing out a diamond ring. She’d needed time to think, of course. It was a decision she’d have to live with for the rest of her natural life (she was an old-fashioned girl in that respect, regardless of what the divorce statistics said). Tony, ever the gentleman, gave her that time.
Her friends were all jealous. Tony was quite a catch, they’d proclaimed. A decent job working in life insurance—a good, stable profession—a nice car, but most importantly, those Colin Farrell looks (with a body to match, she’d boasted after a few drinks one night). When her closest friend asked what she was waiting for, Michelle asked herself the same question. It was obvious the man adored her.
Michelle’s family was more sceptical. “You’ve only known him five minutes,” said her father, which she had to admit was right.
Her mother reserved judgement until she’d met Tony, and after suitably impressing her by bringing along flowers and chocolates, she’d said to her own husband, “Now, George, sometimes a woman just knows when she’s found ‘the one’ . . .” Michelle’s father had snorted, but she could tell that in spite of his protestations—and the fact that no man she’d ever brought to meet them had been good enough—he grudgingly approved of Tony.
Michelle accepted the proposal after a night out at the cinema: the Regal was hosting a special screening of Casablanca, one of her all-time favourite films. She’d sat there and watched again as Ingrid and Humphrey said goodbye, and resolved that she would never let her one true love go like that. Ever. The rest, as they say, was history.
“More wine?” asked Tony now, pouring another glassful of the deep red Bordeaux into her glass. She smiled a thank you, and he blew a kiss back.
She still couldn’t quite believe what had happened this weekend. This was a Tony she didn’t know; or rather, it was the Tony she used to know back when they first got together. Perhaps the other Tony, the one who’d taken their relationship for granted as soon as that band of gold had slid onto her finger, had been the stranger, not this man. The Tony who’d been content to watch the news or football—he’d kept that particular interest well under wraps when they initially started seeing each other—of an evening instead of going out, or even coming to bed, definitely wasn’t the man she’d walked up that aisle for. Nor was this Tony too busy with work, too obsessed with getting a promotion to take her away—in spite of her heavy-handed hints, leaving brochures scattered about the place.
“If you want to go, love, you go,” he’d say. But she’d done all the travelling alone she wanted to do. Now she wanted someone to share it with.
It wasn’t that Tony had been nasty or anything to her; far from it. Sometimes she wished he’d take enough interest to get drawn into a row. At least then she might get a little passion from him, something that was sadly lacking in their life at the moment. He’d still buy her things, or more often than not let her buy things on his card. But money, as all those wise philosophisers were so fond of stating, wasn’t everything. Besides which, she still had a job at the local infants school in the admin department—there was money of her own coming in.
(That was another area where Michelle was unable to get through to Tony. Seeing all those little faces made her think more and more about her biological clock, but as far as her husband was concerned, kids were something to ‘think about’ in the future. If only they’d talked about it before getting hitched, sounded each other out about their feelings . . .)
As the couple grew more distant, and the life Michelle thought she’d be leading slipped gradually away from her, she began to think that her father had been right all along. They hadn’t known each other five minutes before committing, and that one simple mistake was going to cost her a lifetime of happiness—while the inches between them increased in the matrimonial bed, neither one even touching the other any more.
But they were touching each other now, weren’t they? Tony’s hand across the table, holding hers so tightly. Their feet finding each other’s legs under the tablecloth. Michelle took a swig of the freshly-poured wine, the perfect accompaniment to the stuffed peppers they’d had for starters, the spaghetti carbonara for main, and for dessert . . . Ah, well, she thought impishly, we may not even have that here at all!
She’d thought everything was lost when Tony had announced he was going away Friday night to Sunday morning on business—the latest in a long line of trips. If she’d been the jealous type, she might have suspected he was up to something behind her back. But Tony couldn’t even be bothered with the one woman he had, let alone complicating things with a mistress. Anyway, she’d followed him—twice—just to make sure. It was exactly as he’d said: business, strictly business, meeting middle-aged men in hotel lounges and bars to talk about the prospect of making money from the fear of death. That’s when he wasn’t spending hours in the car travelling to such obscure locations.
And she might have been worried again about the Tony that returned early Saturday to surprise her with dinner booked for two at a cosy Italian on the outskirts of town, a reminder of a time long ago. “Client backed out at the last minute, so I drove home,” he told her. But far from seeming disappointed by this, Tony was positively chipper. “Means I get to spend the weekend with my lovely wife,” he’d said before presenting her with a big bunch of roses.
Michelle looked at him sideways. Was this to make up for something he’d done? Yet the more he talked, the more she realised it was to make up for something he hadn’t. “I know I’ve been neglecting you lately,” Tony said, “but all that’s going to change from now on. I’m going to pay you more attention—starting right now!”
